NEWARK - State Attorney General Peter
C. Harvey and the Division of Consumer
Affairs today filed lawsuits against seven
home improvement contractors who allegedly
committed multiple violations of the State’s
Consumer Fraud Act and Home Improvement
Practices Regulations.
The
homeowners who filed complaints with Consumer
Affairs allege, among others things, that
the contractors either failed to start
work after receiving deposits, made substandard
repairs, performed electrical or plumbing
work without being licensed to do so,
commenced work without obtaining the required
permits, performed unauthorized work,
or failed to complete repairs resulting
in additional damage to consumers’
homes.
"Bottom-line,
these contractors did not care about the
homeowners. They literally left holes
over the heads of residents in some cases
when roofing projects were not completed,"
Acting Governor Richard J. Codey said.
"That is unprofessional and unacceptable."
"A
person’s home, besides typically
being their largest single asset, is a
place of comfort and security for the
homeowner and his or her family,"
Attorney General Harvey said. "We
allege that these contractors did not
do what they agreed to do and, in some
cases, took hard-earned money from innocent
homeowners. By their actions or inaction,
these contractors devalued homes, causing
homeowners grief, anxiety and even physical
hardships."
In
one case, after the consumer paid the
contractor over $200,000 for repairs,
the contractor walked off the job leaving
live electrical wires hanging and no heat
or plumbing in the home. A certificate
of occupancy could not be issued due to
the extensive damage caused by the contractor.
"Last
year, home improvement complaints were
our No. 1 complaint category," Consumer
Affairs Director Kimberly Ricketts noted.
"People want the work done right,
done on time and done on budget. These
are reasonable expectations, ones that
Consumer Affairs will enforce to the fullest
extent of the law."
The
contractors also allegedly tried to coerce
homeowners into paying for unfinished
or unsatisfactory work through the use
of collection agencies and threats to
place liens against their homes.
The
seven contracting companies, the principals
who are named in the lawsuits and the
town where each business is based are
as follows:
- Action
Remodeling LLC, William H.
Spears III, Kinnelon
- All-Tech
Construction, (doing business as Americoast
Construction, Americoast Contractors
and Ameri Co. Mason Contractors),
Frank Barone, Brick
- Cabinets
Plus of South Orange Inc. (doing business
as The Cabinet Corner and Cabinets Plus),
Joseph P. Landolfi, South Orange
- Code
Plus General Contracting (doing business
as A+ Contractors and A+ Plus General
Contracting), Timothy Denehan,
Hackettstown
- Garden
State Gutter Cleaning,
Michael Pittaro, Bloomfield
- Jersey
Roofers & Jersey City Roofer-Builders
Inc. (doing business as Asbury Roofers,
Jersey City Roofers, Jersey City Roofer
and Builders, Jersey City Roofers and
Builders, Jersey Roofers, Jersey Roofers
and Builders, New Jersey Roofers, Statewide
Roofers and Builders, Statewide Roofing,
Waltz’s Demolition, Waltz’s
Demolition & Home Improvements,
Waltz’s Home Improvements and
Waltz’s Roofing & Home Improvements),
Stephen Waltz, Hamilton Twp. (Mercer
County)
- North
Jersey Home Pros Inc., Jeffery
Formica, Montclair
The
State’s lawsuits, filed in Superior
Court venues, allege that these contractors:
-
Engaged in Unconscionable Commercial
Practices;
- Made
false promises, misrepresentations and
knowing omissions of material fact;
and
- Violated
the State’s Home Improvement Practices
Regulations
To
date, Consumer Affairs has received 73
consumer complaints about these seven
contractors. The amount of restitution
owed to homeowners is still being calculated
and is currently estimated at approximately
$273,000.
The
contractors face civil penalties of up
to $10,000 for the initial violation of
the Consumer Fraud Act and up to $20,000
for each subsequent violation. The lawsuits
also seek restitution for consumers, reimbursement
of attorneys’ fees and investigative
costs and future adherence to the Consumer
Fraud Act and Home Improvement Practices
Regulations.
Deputy
Attorneys General Gina M. Betts, Jeremy
S. Crawford, Jonathan D. Rudolph and Amye
R. Steinberg are representing the State.